57 Shamrock Road

Updated 27 November 2021

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. The registered manager is also the provider and is referred to as the provider throughout this report. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider would be available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 28 September 2021 and ended on 12 October 2021. We visited the office location on 28 September 2021 and spoke with people, relatives and staff on days in between these dates.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at recruitment records.

Updated 27 November 2021

About the service

57 Shamrock Road is a domiciliary care agency, providing personal care to five people with varying needs at the time of the inspection. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The service people received was not always safe. People’s individual risks were not always recorded and when they were, the detail was not always sufficient to ensure people’s safety. Where people needed staff support to give them their medicines, information about their medicines and why they were taking them was not always in place. Staff did not always record when they had given people their medicines, or if they had not given them for some reason, why this was.

New staff were not always recruited in a safe way as a full employment history had not been checked by the provider and suitable references were not taken up with previous employers.

Initial assessments did not give staff the information needed to make sure people’s preferences for their care and support was recorded in the care plan. People did not always receive care and support that was person centred.

The provider was not fully aware of the regulations and what they needed to do to ensure compliance. This meant they had not been aware of the compliance issues we found.

Enough staff were available to provide care and support. People, relatives and staff confirmed this. Staff understood their responsibilities in keeping people safe and reporting concerns if they had them, including accidents and incidents. The latest guidance around infection prevention and control for care agencies was followed and the provider kept up to date.

Staff received the mandatory training they needed and had regular meetings with the provider, when their competency was also checked. However, practical training for areas such as moving and handling had not been delivered to staff to make sure they had the appropriate level of competence.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People who needed support at meal times received the help they needed from staff. Some people needed staff to help them to access advice from healthcare professionals. Staff knew when people were feeling unwell and sought help when appropriate.

We had good comments and positive feedback about the provider. They were described as approachable and caring. Staff were kept in touch and supported through group messages and virtual meetings. The provider was starting to develop new networks to keep up to date with changing guidance and best practice.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 3 January 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the timescales for unrated services

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service.

We have identified breaches in relation to managing individual risk and medicines, recruitment processes, individual care, and suitable monitoring of the service at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.